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Old April 17th 07, 05:43 AM posted to rec.aviation.homebuilt
jerry wass
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Posts: 180
Default Slotted Flaps Pitching Moment

J.Kahn wrote:
wrote:
On Apr 14, 1:59 pm, john smith wrote:
In article ,

"J.Kahn" wrote:
Does the presence of the
slot in the flap move the overall wing CP forward or aft vs the
unslotted flap at a given angle? This is what I'm having trouble
finding out. I would think that the presence of the slot imcreases the
pressure gradient and moves it more aft than the plain one, so that the
pitching moment is increased.
AS Stealth Pilot posted, the purpose of the slot is to energize the flow
over the flap.

A better question is, what are the relationships between center of
pressure (CP) and center of lift (CL)?

Do they differ?

Why do they differ?

Under what conditions do they coincide?


CP is the term most often used, implying that it's the same
thing.

As far as pitching moment, there are other considerations
besides CP movement. In the 150 and 172 the nose pitches UP when flaps
are deployed, not down. The downwash off the flaps strikes the
stabilizer and raises the nose, demanding nose-down trim. The position
of the stab is a bit different in other Cessnas like the 180/185 and
the nose pitches down instead.

Dan



I realize that I was just looking for the difference between plain and
slotted all other things being the same.

I think I found a clue the answer on the EAA design spreadsheet for
surface sizing. It has a wing moment coefficient box and allows a
factor of "-2" for plain flaps and "-3.5" for slotted. This would seem
to imply that the CM increase for a slotted flap is about 75% more than
a plain one.

John

What's the URL for the EAA design program--(I'm a member) please, thank
you!!--Jerry